Love Like This
by AnGelFacE S2
Summary: Just a bunch of one-shots between my OC Hallie and Nate.
1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:** I'm going to write a bunch of one-shots telling Hallie's and Nate's growing relationship over the time they had known each other. Prequel to 'Broken' and 'Always there in you'.  
**Disclaimer:** I don't own anything or anyone except Hallie and whatever other character you don't recognise. 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
Chapter 1-  
Fathers.  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

_In my head I replay our conversations,  
over and over 'till they feel like hallucinations.  
You know me;  
I love to loose my mind._

"You found it" Hallie smiled a slightly sad smile as she saw Nate observing a silver chain necklace with numerous charms on it.  
Nate looked up and smiled "It's pretty cool. Where'd you get it?" He failed to notice the look on Hallie's face as she walked over and gently took it out of his hands. She was glad everyone had gone home for the night; leaving just her and Nate in the office. 

"It was my Dad's. My real Dad's. He um, gave it too me before he left" Hallie played with the charms before opening her desk draw and placing it carefully inside.  
Nate felt the atmosphere between them change; he leant against the desk and looked at Hallie "You don't talk about him much" He stated.  
Hallie shrugged "I don't really remember him. I was nine when he left" She said as she tried to remember her absent father. 

"What do you remember?" Nate asked gently as Hallie sat at her desk; rocking back and forward on her chair.  
Hallie smiled "I remember when I was about—six. Dad took me to the park to play soccer. I um—" She swallowed deeply and laughed "—I kicked the ball into his nose. I felt so bad"  
Nate smiled at her; enjoying listening to her stories about her father.

"I also remember the day he left—" Hallie looked down and bit her lip; trying to quell the tears which were about to fall from her eyes "—he and Mom had this argument. I remember it so well because I was hiding under my blankets; trying to make the shouting go away—" She let out a shaky breath and looked up at the ceiling "—Mom cheated on Dad with Chris and Dad found out. Dad came up to my room; kissed me on my forehead, gave me his necklace and told me to be a good girl for Mom. Never saw him again"

Nate looked sadly at Hallie; not saying a word to her. He knew by just him being there, listening to her, he was doing her a huge favor.  
"It's funny how life works out like that. I loose one good parent to end up with two who I hate. I become the withdrawn NCIS agent who goes out on suicide missions because it's better doing that then facing up to what I feel inside" Hallie continued without looking at him. 

"You're human Hallie. It's what we do to protect ourselves" Nate explained.  
Hallie laughed and ran her hands over her face "I must be a text book example of crazy huh" She concluded after a moment of silence between them both.  
"You're not crazy Hallie. You're just a girl who has had enough" Nate replied.  
She let out a sigh and stood up "I'm going to get going home. I'll catch you tomorrow" She pulled her back pack over her shoulder and smiled at Nate "Thanks for listening Nate" She said. 

"Anytime" Nate returned the smile and watched as the younger woman walked out of the office; the sound of the door opening and closing echoed throughout the empty office. 


	2. Chapter 2

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
Chapter 2-  
Cleanliness  
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_Remember one moment, I tried to forget.  
I lost myself, is it better not said.  
Now I'm closer to the edge_

"Cleanliness is next to uh…efficiency" Nate said as he raised the hot mug to his lips and took a long drink of the coffee.  
Hallie raised a plucked eyebrow and pointed to her desk "It is clean; and I can function quite well at my desk thank you very much" She looked over at her desk and noticed the stacks of paper, the empty chip packets which littered the brown surface. Well, at least she knew where everything was. 

"I'm going to call your bluff on this. Where's the case report from yesterday?" Nate asked, watching with amusement as Hallie searched through her ever growing stack of paper.  
The young woman moved paper from side to side, opened her desk draws and pulling out many novelty toys before holding up the cream coloured file "Ah ha! See; told you" She passed it to him to give to Hetty.

"Okay; no one can work in this kind of condition" Nate stated as Hallie sat at her desk and swung her feet onto the desk.  
Hallie shrugged "I can" She said calmly as she folded her hands in her lap "And you think this is bad; you should see my house" She gave Nate a knowing look as a smile fell on her face.

Nate tapped the file in her hand a few times before saying "I find pack rats and hoarders fascinating"  
"What did you just call me?" Hallie looked at him as she took her feet off the desk and leered at him.  
The psychologist back tracked on his words and stuttered "I-I wasn't calling you a pack rat or a hoarder. I was just saying that they're fascinating" He said as Hallie stood up and walked over to him. 

She looked at him for a moment before smirking and slapping his face gently "I'm just playing with ya. I'm not going to knock your block off so chill" She went to move past him before stopping and thinking for a moment as she turned on the spot and pointed at him "Although; if you do call me anything like that again, I will" She warned as she walked up the stairs, a smile plastered on her face. 

When he walked past her desk when everyone had left for the bar that night; he smiled at what he saw. Her desk was neat and tidy; something he never thought he would see. The paper which was scattered across her desk was now filed away neatly in a small container, the chip packets were placed in the bin; her crime books were in her desk draw and, on a yellow sticky note, the words 'are you happy now?' was scrawled in her outrageously messy handwriting.

He chuckled to himself as he pulled out his pen and wrote underneath 'I am'. He turned back and walked out of the office; a smile printed on his face. 


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3-  
Drink Driving.  
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_Do you know what's worth fighting for?  
When it's not worth dying for.  
Does it take your breath away?  
And you feel yourself suffocating.  
_

"Are you still drunk?" Hallie asked Nate the next morning as they met each other in the car part; his face looking tired and worn.  
Nate pulled his bag over his shoulder and shrugged "Maybe" He looked over at her with a confused expression "How come you look good? You drank more then I did last night"  
Hallie smirked and locked her car door "Well, I didn't eat for five hours before I went out with you guys _and_ I'm a moderately better drinker then you" She explained as they pushed open the door to the office. 

"What does five hours have to do with anything?" Nate asked as he cautiously put one foot in front of the other.  
Hallie looked at him and suppressed a laugh "Well if you drink five hours after eating you sober up easier. I know people say 'you gotta eat before you drink yada yada yada', but if you eat before you drink the alcohol stays in your stomach meaning that you stay drunk for longer" She said with a smile. 

Nate gave her a curious expression "How do you know that?" He asked; walking over to the lockers and opening his.  
Hallie did the same and pulled out a case file which she assumed Hetty placed in there; looking over the facts of the case, she said, without looking up; "I went to a triple A meeting once"  
"Isn't that for people who've been caught for drink driving?" Nate asked with confusion on her face.  
Hallie smirked and walked away without another word. It was just one of those things Nate wasn't going to get out of the younger agent. 


End file.
